If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above.
You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed.
To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

The day-to-day details of milk donation?

I have contacted the Vancouver Milk Bank and they are interested in me
becoming a milk donor. I will become one if I pass the health
requirement (I don't see why not) and figure out the physical logistics
of getting my milk to them (I'm 3 hours from Vancouver).

I guess I would like to know more about the logistics of extra pumping.
When did you pump? How often did you pump? Did you pump while nursing?
Did you keep any for your baby as a freezer stash? How did you handle
growth spurts? Things like that.

"DeliciousTruffles" wrote in
message ...
I have contacted the Vancouver Milk Bank and they are interested in me
becoming a milk donor. I will become one if I pass the health
requirement (I don't see why not) and figure out the physical logistics
of getting my milk to them (I'm 3 hours from Vancouver).

I guess I would like to know more about the logistics of extra pumping.
When did you pump? How often did you pump? Did you pump while nursing?
Did you keep any for your baby as a freezer stash? How did you handle
growth spurts? Things like that.

Any information would be appreciated. :-)

--

I donated 639 ozs, to The Mother's Milk Bank in San Jose, CA. I live in
Phx, AZ. They sent me a cooler after I had enough to donate (IIRC, 150 ozs.
per donation) & I shipped it to them FedEx at their expense. Each bag had
to be frozen and labelled with the date and my name or donor #.

I pumped in the AM while nursing DD while on maternity leave (I went back to
work when DD was 15 weeks) and continued in the AM and twice during my
normal work day. I was not planning to donate but when I started running
out of freezer space, I knew I had to do something. LOL.

It was quite simple. The Milk Bank required an MD note from my MD and DD's
pediatrician and few blood tests. The Milk Bank paid for the blood test if
my insurance did not cover it. HTH.

DeliciousTruffles wrote:
I have contacted the Vancouver Milk Bank and they are interested in me
becoming a milk donor. I will become one if I pass the health
requirement (I don't see why not) and figure out the physical logistics
of getting my milk to them (I'm 3 hours from Vancouver).

I guess I would like to know more about the logistics of extra pumping.
When did you pump? How often did you pump? Did you pump while nursing?
Did you keep any for your baby as a freezer stash? How did you handle
growth spurts? Things like that.

Any information would be appreciated. :-)

Shannon's experience is exactly what I did. Ran out of freezer
space and donated a bunch of milk (I only did a one time donation).
They fedexed me a cooler and I sent it back full of milk, they
paid shipping.

Since you are a SAHM, you would probably do best to pump
first thing in the morning. You could either do it while baby
nurses the other side, or pump before she gets up. She'll have
to work a little harder for breakfast but she'd be OK.
That'd probably get you your best yeild. And I'd probably
want to keep a small freezer stash (how often does your
daughter take a bottle?), but since you are with her most
of the time, you don't have the 'keep up with baby'
mentality that you develop when you WOH (it was really
hard to part with my freezer stash, even though DD never
drank more than I pumped, so I never dipped into it at all).

I always pump between 11 and 12 at night and usually get 10 oz. then. It is
a great time for me since DD has usually been asleep for 4 hours and will be
asleep for at least 5-6 more! I've never heard of milk donation here, I
wouldn't know where to look! I do use the milk I pump at night to mix with
her baby cereal the next day and the remainder I freeze.

KR

"DeliciousTruffles" wrote in
message ...
I have contacted the Vancouver Milk Bank and they are interested in me
becoming a milk donor. I will become one if I pass the health
requirement (I don't see why not) and figure out the physical logistics
of getting my milk to them (I'm 3 hours from Vancouver).

I guess I would like to know more about the logistics of extra pumping.
When did you pump? How often did you pump? Did you pump while nursing?
Did you keep any for your baby as a freezer stash? How did you handle
growth spurts? Things like that.